Office Depotâ€™s LEED Gold store surpasses expectations

Boca Raton, Fla. Office Depot announced the efficiency results of the companyâ€™s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified store.

The store, located in Austin, Texas, has lowered its carbon intensity by 23% due to a number of programs.

From November 2008 to November 2009, Office Depot tracked a variety of environmental impact factors including energy usage, carbon-dioxide emissions and water efficiency at the location and compared it to other Office Depot outlets in the same area.

â€śThe energy savings realized at our first Austin store location has been even greater than what we had originally expected,â€ť said Edward Costa, VP construction for Office Depot. â€śThe Austin location allowed us to test a variety of new and innovative initiatives and solutions that resulted in both environmental and economic benefits.â€ť

In addition to lowering its carbon emissions, the Gold-certifiedÂ store has reduced its electricity use (kWh per square foot) by about 14% and reduced its carbon footprint (per square foot) by 23%. It has lowered its annual electricity costs by approximately 16%; and overall, and is 15% more energy efficient (per square foot) than the chainâ€™s other stores in Austin.

â€śOur Austin experience shows that a LEED-certified store is dramatically more energy efficient than a non-certified store,â€ť said Yalmaz Siddiqui, director of environmental strategy for Office Depot. â€śThe results prove how beneficial a green building can be from both an environmental and economic perspective.â€ť

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